description Miriam Benjamin Overview
Miriam Benjamin was an American teacher and inventor who received a United States patent in 1888 for a device called the Gong and Signal Chair. The chair allowed a hotel guest to signal a servant or attendant without leaving the seat, using a mechanism connected to a visible or audible signal. Her invention addressed communication within hotels and other service settings. Benjamin is remembered in the history of American patenting and Black women inventors of the nineteenth century.
help Miriam Benjamin FAQ
What did Miriam Benjamin invent?
Miriam Benjamin invented the Gong and Signal Chair. Her 1888 United States patent described a way for hotel guests to signal an attendant without leaving their seats.
When did Miriam Benjamin receive her patent?
She received a United States patent in 1888. The invention used a mechanism connected to a visible or audible signal.
How did the Gong and Signal Chair work?
A seated hotel guest could activate a signal instead of calling for an attendant by leaving the chair. The mechanism alerted a servant or hotel worker to the request.
Was Miriam Benjamin a teacher as well as an inventor?
Yes. She was an American teacher and inventor, and her patented chair addressed communication between hotel guests and attendants.
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